<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Peace, Love, and Chocolate Tarts by DarkShadows93</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25812685">Peace, Love, and Chocolate Tarts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShadows93/pseuds/DarkShadows93'>DarkShadows93</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman &amp; Terry Pratchett</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awake the Snake (Good Omens), Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Caring Aziraphale (Good Omens), Chocolate, Comforting Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Humanity (Good Omens), Hot Chocolate, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Post-Episode: Good Omens: Lockdown, Prompt Fill, Protective Crowley (Good Omens), Soft Aziraphale (Good Omens), Soft Crowley (Good Omens), Stress Baking, Stressed Aziraphale (Good Omens), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:55:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25812685</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShadows93/pseuds/DarkShadows93</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't quite October when Crowley decides to wake up from his nap. but he decided to surprise Aziraphale at the shop. Only to find that the Lockdown and his nap had been tearing the Principality at the seams. </p><p>All Aziraphale wanted to do was to ease the suffering of the humans. There was no divine miracle that could help them. All he could do was bake. </p><p>Ineffable Husbands- Fanfictions Readers and Writers- AO3 Week 26 Prompt: "Chocolate"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Week 26: Chocolate</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Peace, Love, and Chocolate Tarts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The whole scenario was inspired by the Good Omens: Lockdown video that I watched for the first time friday. All I could do is imagine all the pastries and goodies Aziraphale was baking. I bet they tasted divine.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The smell of chocolate wafted from the antique bookshop in a glorious cloud that even made Crowley drool. His tongue flicked against his lips tasting the bittersweet aroma on his lips as he approached the store, holding the fresh tin of hot chocolate close to his chest. The demon thought he could see him from the window, his angel covered in flour and chocolate distracted by the chocolate tart, and other sweets spread around the new addition to the shop. At least, Aziraphale didn't seem bothered by the idea that his boredom lock-down nap was extended by three months. Unless he was and used baking as a coping mechanism. Crowley hissed at the thought and continued to watch. </p><p>Crowley was grateful that the streets of Soho were empty since the pandemic or him gazing at his angel would look like he was a stalker waiting to attack. It was not like he was a stalker or anything. He had been watching Aziraphale for a long time since the beginning. How else would he have known when Aziraphale purposely put himself in trouble?</p><p>After a while, the aroma of chocolate became intoxicating. Crowley felt his body become light and warm like a star in the sky. The tiniest smile blossomed on his lips as he held out his hand, miracling the door unlocked as he slithers into the empty stop. </p><p>The sounds of Mozart playing on gramophone echoed through the shop, the chocolate aroma mingled with the scents of raspberry and sweet cream. It seemed like a lifetime since he had the hunger for something sweet. Sweet as a chocolate tart but soft as a meringue. His heart rushed at the thought as he weaved through the store to reach his sweet angel as he layered a bowl of cream-like substance. </p><p>Crowley beamed as he watched Aziraphale hummed to himself, imitating a conductor leading an orchestra in Albert Hall. His hands emphasized the downbeat as the music began to swell around him. Crowley chuckled as he silently placed the tin down on a counter by the presentation of tarts and biscuits, slipping behind the angel placing his hands firmly at his hips and placing a kiss against the spot of chocolate on his cheek. </p><p>The spatula slipped from Aziraphale's hand as a soft gasp escaped from him, "Crowley?" He said as he turned around to face the demon, his face a pale crimson as he pressed his back against the counter, "Oh-oh- you're awake. You're a week early. I-I-I didn't know or I-I would've called. When did you…"</p><p>"Last night." Crowley purred as he kissed the splotches of chocolate on his Angel's face, "whatever you are making smells intoxicating… "</p><p>"Oh, that would be the rest of the tarts, dear. I- I was just making the topping but can't seem to get the peaks right." Aziraphale sighed as he stepped away from Crowley as he was leaning in once more causing the demon to fall into the counter as Aziraphale wiped his hands against the tartan apron and glanced at the cookbook.</p><p>"Well…" Crowley groans as he pushes himself, wiping the powdered sugar from his black tartan jacket (that he refused to get rid of because of Aziraphale) and dipping the tip of his pinky into the mixture placed in his mouth. He licked his lips, nodding in approval before wrapping his arms around Aziraphale, "Couldn't you just miracle it to… whatever your making? You're an angel. you can do anything."</p><p>"That takes all the fun out of it, Crowley. " Aziraphale pouts as he gives Crowley a quick peck on the lips before opening up the oven to check on the tarts, "What's the point of learning a new skill if you can just miracle the item you want?"</p><p>"Because you're an-"</p><p>"Besides, I would be dreadfully bored after a while." Aziraphale continued as he picked up the mixing bowl and started again with the frivolous mixing, "I couldn't just pop by and see you or vice versa."</p><p>"You could have.... You would've saved me a lot of trouble of being bored…" Crowley murmured, rubbing the back of his neck, " I even offered to come over, 'member?"</p><p>"But what type of angel I would be if I just went around Mayfair when there is that nasty virus about? I would be an angel telling people it's alright to not wear a mask or to not stay home. It's sad when a demon refuses to do it and I would be causing death. " Aziraphale said as the mixture started spilling from the bowl, slowly firming up</p><p>"That's not true, angel. You would just be you staying in my flat. " Crowley admitted as he watched the Principality struggle with the whipped cream, "You can't control people's stupidity."</p><p>Maybe Aziraphale wasn't handling the lock-down at all. He was stressed feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders and trying to stop it. Afraid that every little thing would cause people to die just because he was alone. Crowley felt a tinge of regret for taking that nap, he should've just come over to the shop when it started. They could've handled the whole thing together. </p><p>"I know. But I have to help people. There are so many people struggling with funds that they barely can afford to-"</p><p>"Aziraphale… why don't we sit down and share a tart, have a cup of cocoa, hmm?" Crowley suggested as he gently pulled the mixing bowl away from the angel before more of the mixture ended on his snakeskin boots, "Clearly you've had a rough time…."</p><p>"But the tarts… they should be done soon." Aziraphale rushed towards the oven but Crowley held out his arm to stop him.</p><p>"Angel. Sit. The tarts will be fine. Trust me."</p><p>"Crowley, they are very delicate." Aziraphale grabs the timer from the counter, holding it up as it counts down from five minutes "They'll burn-" </p><p>"Do you trust me, Aziraphale?"  Crowley's voice was soft, gentle, caring even. It was like the parting they shared before he napped. Reassuring the little hope he carried in the world and it nearly knocked Aziraphale off his feet.</p><p>"I-" Aziraphale blinks as Crowley takes the timer from his hand, if he had taken off his sunglasses he could see the sincerity and concern in his eyes, "Of course I do, my dear. I trust you more than I trust the wings on my back to keep me from falling…"</p><p>Crowley released a strangled noise, his sunglasses slipping slightly down his nose to reveal yellow eyes with pupils wide as saucers. He blinked coughing as he pushed up his glasses and pointed out of the kitchen, "G-Go on, angel. I'll be right there."</p><p>Oh bollocks. Crowley ran his hands through his auburn hair sighing loudly as Aziraphale left the room. Was it really like that? He would trust him to catch him if he fell? That was almost telling someone they loved them and would do anything for him. That was like an oath that Crowley prayed to some power would never happen. Aziraphale should never fall from grace. Perhaps, they had been playing this game too long. He should've been there. He should be easing his worries. They should've been in the same home since the apocalo-not. </p><p>Crowley grabbed the forgotten tin of hot chocolate and made exactly how Aziraphale liked it. Warmed sweet cream, no marshmallow with extra chocolate poured in his special heavenly mug. The tarts were done by the time Crowley had plated one of the decorated tarts with a raspberry and mint. </p><p>It was a domestic chore. Baking and the act of it. He never had to use his kitchen at his flat, it was kept pristine and stocked with food that never spoiled for when Aziraphale came over. It was the one thing he couldn't grasp was cooking. It was the one thing that didn't make him human. </p><p>Instead of opening up the oven and pulling out the tarts, all Crowley did was snap his fingers. The tray of eight chocolate tarts appeared on the cooling right with just a sprinkle of demonic inspiration. Just enough for when Aziraphale bit into one, just to assure him that Crowley would be there when he needed him. </p><p>*~~~*</p><p>Aziraphale hoped that Crowley didn't notice the thin layer of dust around the shop. It was normal for the shop to be in such disarray, almost neglected except for a few items. The cookbook section and the one book he had been struggling to read for a month.</p><p>It had been a long three months. Three months without Crowley. The world had changed so much. There was so much death. So much suffering. Aziraphale tried to help ease it but it wasn't enough. There was always some poor soul going hungry in Soho. It wasn't just pastries and biscuits he learned how to make banquets, huge meals for families. </p><p>Ever since he had those boys break into the shop and he gave them some pastries, Aziraphale had been receiving random people at his back door. A few people at a time, then it turned to families struggling to survive in the pandemic. One family would turn to a dozen families a week. He was struggling to keep up to feed the families. Aziraphale even volunteered to bake tarts for a convent of nuns down in South London for losing five nuns to the blasted virus. </p><p>"Angel, what in Heaven are you doing?"</p><p>The dust never seemed to go away. It still lingered on his well-loved items. Aziraphale couldn't clean all the way, he had been too soft. He had been spoiled by the idea of human initiation. He should've just miracle away the dust. The dust mop slipped from his hand, clattering onto the desk in a spoof of dust. Aziraphale stuttered as he turned to face the demon, giving an uneasy smile as he wiped his hands nervously on his apron.</p><p>"Oh just doing a spot of cleaning."</p><p>"On your desk?" Crowley asked as he placed the tart and his angelic cup on his desk in front of him</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"The thing that you keep in organized chaos?"</p><p>"Yes. Just a bit of dust."</p><p>Crowley handed the cup of cocoa to him and sighed, "Sit down, angel. I think we need to talk."</p><p>"A-a talk?" Crowley slowly eased Aziraphale into his chair who stared into his cocoa in confusion, "Aren't we talking right now?"</p><p>"Tell me what happened while I was asleep, Aziraphale." Crowley asked as he miracle a pair of forks and took a small minuscule bite of the tart before sitting in the lounge chair, "And I mean everything. Not these half-truths you have a habit of saying."</p><p>Aziraphale shrugs as he takes a sip of his cocoa, the sweet taste easing "Well nothing extraordinary happens if you're wondering. I've kept busy as I already told you."</p><p>"So that little mental break in the kitchen…" Crowley leaned as he reached for another bite of the tart, finding it quite difficult to put the fork down, "was you keeping busy?"</p><p>"Oh yes." Aziraphale nodded giving the demon an uneasy smile this was a subject that he would rather drop quickly. It was like pulling a ripped seam of a shirt to see if it made it better when in fact it made it worse. There was only so much that Aziraphale could do when he was a shirt being pulled in different directions to help people, "This pandemic has done wonders to my newly acquired skills."</p><p>Crowley ran his fingers against a wood panel, rubbing the film between his forefinger and his thumb, "but neglected others. I think you're telling me a half-truth there, angel."</p><p>"Oh, nonsense. I'm an angel. All I do is speak the truth."</p><p>"Ah yes, angels speaking truths that make them seem more celestial. While we demons all we do is lie, cheat, and seduce." Crowley scoffs as he rubs his fingers against his trousers and leans forward, " So tell me this then, angel. Who would you say is the most human of us?  We've been down here with them since the beginning. We must've picked up a thing or two from them. We know that humans are notorious for stretching the truth a bit thin. I would bet my right-wing that it's you, Principality of the Eastern Gate." </p><p>Crowley glanced at the tart frowning at the unused fork sitting beside it before bringing his gaze to Aziraphale "Huh… you haven't even started to eat the tart. An angel like you would've surely finished it already." </p><p>Aziraphale felt like it was a trap to talk about the experiences and stress of the last three months without Crowley. It wasn't like he had missed him. Aziraphale missed him more than anything and he prayed that Crowley would be a component demon to break rules and to hunker down in the shop. It was the loneliness and the unknown dread of the pandemic that fueled him. Feeding the hungry was a distraction and the right thing to do but it had its costs.</p><p> The Principality swallowed as he stared at the tart, it did look scrumptious. He ignored the protest in his form's body, Aziraphale  just didn't have the heart to eat it when a child could have been fed with it, "I'm not hungry."</p><p>"You wot?" Crowley pulled off his sunglasses to get a better look at him, "I'm sorry, angel. What was that?"</p><p>"I said…" Aziraphale's throat felt extremely dry as he repeated the words, "I said that I'm not hungry."</p><p>"Not hungry?" Crowley blinked as his lanky body rose from the lounge chair and hovered over him like a vulture waiting for its supper, "You not hungry for even a chocolate tart? Now I know that something is bothering you."</p><p>"I'm fine, Crowley." Aziraphale met the serpent's golden eyes, his fingers intertwined with his, "Please, my dearest don't worry about me."</p><p>"Oh no. don't pull that with me, angel." His voice firm in a whisper as his hands cupped Aziraphale's cheek, "You told me that you trust me more than your own bloody wings. You can tell me anything. Whatever it is. I don't care. You shouldn't have to deal with it on your own."</p><p>Aziraphale shuddered, his eyes clenched shut as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart, "I've been so lonely, Crowley. And there are so many people going hungry… that I had to do something to help."</p><p>"That's more like it…" Crowley whispered as he pressed a kiss onto his temple, his thumb gently running against his knuckles, "Keep talking, angel. I'm listening."</p><p>"It's not fair. It's not fair that they're suffering. Humans can be so careless…." Aziraphale breathed out, voice breaking causing the serpent to press his lips against his to keep him grounded, " They don't seem to care when they see others suffer for food or fear of finances or the well-being of others. I tried so very hard to help but there is more than I can bear. Not even a divine miracle can help all the suffering I've seen. Have you seen the NHS? The poor lads are giving their lives for reckless people."</p><p>"You can't fix stupidity, Aziraphale. It's one of the downsides of knowing the difference between good and evil, unfortunately." Crowley soothed, pulling the mug of cocoa from his trembling hands and placed it on the desk before pulling him to his feet. </p><p>Aziraphale sighed as he buried his face in the demon's shoulder, relaxing as he felt the lanky arms pull him into an embrace only a serpent could do. He winced as he felt tears prick in the corner of his eyes, "I feel helpless."</p><p>"Helpless, you are not Aziraphale." Crowley rests his head top of his angel, closing his eyes, "you're not lonely. I'm here… I'll always be here." He chuckles softly smirking, "You know that means we need to get a bigger place. There is no place that's big enough to hold all of our things."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Nothing, angel. We'll worry about it later." Crowley gently pushes Aziraphale away and grins like a mad man, "Alright, angel. I'm gonna help you. Just tell me what to do."</p><p>Aziraphale releases a nervous laugh as he wiped a stray, "Crowley, my dearest what on Earth are you talking about?"</p><p>"Come on, angel." Crowley at this point had already shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, " You said people are hungry and suffering, right? Where do we begin?"</p><p>"I-I-I-I-" Aziraphale stammered as he watched Crowley strut into the kitchen, "Crowley?"</p><p>"Oh come on, angel. Do you honestly think I'm gonna let you feed the hungry by yourself?" Crowley peeked his head out the door, the mixing bowl in hand, "Teach me, Aziraphale. Now, where are the tarts going?"</p><p>"Oh uh… they are supposed to go to the Convent of Saint Peregrine Laziosi." Aziraphale said as he followed the demon who stopped whisking then whipped topping, "I figured they needed a pick me up after losing a dozen sisters in a month from the cursed virus…. Crowley, what did you do to them?"</p><p>"Ngk…" Crowley released a strangled noise before rubbing the back of his neck, "Well then, I hope they enjoy the secret ingredient. A dash of demonic inspiration."</p><p>"Oh, Lord. Crowley!"</p><p>The divine pair fell into a fit of laughter as they bickered and baked chocolate tarts. There was a lot of flour and chocolate thrown at each other. The kitchen was a mess but Aziraphale wouldn't have it any other way. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The Convent that had lost 12 sisters was a real thing that happened in America. It was a tragic thing to read from a nonreligious standpoint.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>